PPL Electric Utilities will be using drones to inspect power lines across the region.

“Essentially, we are looking for hot spots that can signal future problems,” said PPL spokeswoman Jane George.

When the drones fly, they’ll not only perform thermographic inspections, they’ll look for trouble spots and damaged equipment on power lines and transformers.

“This allows us to make decisions on repairs and complete that work to help avoid an outage or other problem on the grid,” she said.

George said PPL began implementing drone technology in 2015.

“At that time, we were one of the first utilities in the United States to receive Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) approval to operate drones for these inspections,” she said.

Drone pilots direct the equipment as close as they can to the lines. By doing so, they get a view that would be unavailable to a PPL employee working on the ground.

“Or even in a helicopter,” George said.

The drones also improve PPL’s vegetation management program by measuring the distance from trees to power lines. It allows PPL crews to schedule trimming before a tree can become a problem, she noted.

People in parts of Schuylkill County recently received word that drones will be flying in their area.

“Before our drones patrol an overhead distribution line, customers along that line receive an automated phone call to let them know about the upcoming work,” George said.

They will be flown weekdays between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m.